Hagen, Lynn - Tater's Bear [Brac Pack 22] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (16 page)

“Really?” Tater asked as the glowing began to fade.

If Bryce said one smart-ass thing, Olsen was going to kick his ass from one end of the house to the other.

“It’s okay, Olsen. I know I’m a freak now.”

Olsen pushed away from the house, stalking over to his mate and grabbing Tater’s upper arms. “Look at me, love.”

Tater glanced everywhere but at Olsen, and then his gorgeous green eyes settled on him. Olsen was thankful that Tater’s eyes hadn’t changed. He would have missed the pale beauties. “You are not a freak. Do you understand me?”

“Hey, I was just kidding, Tater,” Bryce said as he took a step closer, stopping when Olsen growled a warning. “I’m serious. You’re family. It doesn’t matter who or what you are, you’re one of us now. You’re a Lakeland, and nobody, not even one of us, is going to fuck with you.”

Olsen’s anger at his brother eased a little at Bryce’s words. He could feel Tater’s tension slowly draining as he nodded at Bryce. “Thanks.”

“You want me to kick my ass? I’ll do it,” Bryce said.

Tater threw his head back and laughed. “This I’ve gotta see.”

Bryce growled. “You would have to say yes.”

Olsen grinned as he pulled Tater back, waiting to see what his brother was going to do. He pushed the thought away from his mind about Tater’s trick. It wouldn’t do any good to think about it right now with Tater having been upset at Bryce’s comment. But he was going to find out later what the hell had just happened.

“Now you know I can’t technically kick my own ass, right?”

“Yes, you can.” Gavin grinned. “Go on, big mouth. Do it.”

“Boys, get in here,” Pa shouted from the back porch.

“Saved by the bell,” Olsen said as he grabbed Tater’s hand and led his mate inside. It had been three weeks since Tater’s ordeal with the rogue, and his baby seemed to be adjusting slowly. He hoped his pa didn’t have any news that would set his mate’s progress back.

“I’m fine.”

Olsen rolled his eyes as he swatted Tater’s ass. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“Settle down, fellas,” his pa said as he sauntered over to one of the recliners and took a seat, sitting with his arms resting on his knees. “Maverick called. It’s all been hush-hush about what happened to the prince.”

Olsen stood straighter. He wanted to know what happened to the man that had saved his mate’s life. He’d inquired a few times but was told time and again that no one knew what was going on with the prince of vampires.

“How’s he doing?” Olsen asked as his hand slid over Tater’s back.

“From what I’ve been told, not so good. He keeps shifting back and forth from his vampire form to his original form. It’s slowing down and the physician is hoping that it will soon stop, but nobody really knows what’s going to happen.”

Fuck. Olsen felt like he should do
something
. After all, the vampire had saved Tater. Even if he hadn’t, Olsen would still feel compelled to help. That was who he was and how he was raised.

“You know there’s really nothing we can do, Olsen,”
Tater gently reminded him.
“He’s the original vampire, according to your father. I’m pretty sure we would be out of our element with him.”

Olsen sighed. He knew his mate was right. He just hated sitting around doing nothing. “Did anyone find out who is behind all of this upheaval?”

“Not a clue,” Pa said. “Maverick suspects it’s rogue vampires, but there’s no way to tell.”

Olsen glanced at Tater when a small frown began to work across his face. “What is it, love?”

“It’s probably nothing.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“D seemed to know one of the vampires that attacked us,” Tater said. “He told me that the guy wasn’t very nice.”

“Not a nice guy?” Olsen cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t say.”

Tater’s eyes narrowed. “Bite me!”

Olsen grinned.

“Can you be serious here for a minute?” Tater snapped. “D might know who these guys are. I think we should talk to him or at least have Maverick talk to him.”

“I’d prefer to discuss the biting thing.”

Olsen chuckled when Tater rolled his eyes. He grabbed his mate and hugged him close, planting a small kiss on his bicep. A few weeks ago, he would have planted a kiss on his head. Now he just reached his chest. That really would take some getting used to.

“All right, let’s call Maverick and have him talk to D,” Olsen said.

“You go ahead and do that,” Pa said, “because I need to go have a talk with Chauncey.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Olsen asked as he looked from his pa to his womb mates, Bryce and Gavin. His brothers shrugged, but Olsen could see in their eyes that they knew something.

“He…uh.” Pa rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted toward the front porch. “I’ll discuss it with you later.”

Olsen didn’t like this secretive shit. If it involved his family, he wanted to know. He wasn’t going to press the matter right now, but he wasn’t going to wait too long for an answer either.

“Come on.” Tater pulled Olsen from the living room and up the stairs. “It’s none of your business.”

“Hell, if it’s not,” Olsen grumbled as he followed his mate up to his bedroom, where he had left his cell phone.

* * * *

Tater listened as Olsen talked with Maverick. He looked down at his hands, wondering if now would be a good time to tell his bear that he was feeling panicky. He may be getting used to this new body and this new way of live, but he still had his old ways and his old fears.

One of them being the fact that he still felt like running away from all of this. Sure, Olsen was great, but Tater still felt that all-consuming fear that he would screw this up somehow.

He had two big commitments, permanent ones, land in his lap in the past couple of weeks, and he still wasn’t sure what to do about that. Not that he could do anything, but his mind still hadn’t fully processed what had happened to him.

Tater looked up from the back steps he was sitting on as Olsen leaned against the side of the rail, reaching his hand down to run it over Tater’s hair. He wasn’t sure if Olsen was doing it to reassure Tater or if he was doing it just to be tender.

That was another thing. Tater felt like his private thoughts were no longer his. It’s not that he didn’t like being able to talk to Olsen so no one could hear them. It was the fact that everyone deserved to have their own thoughts to themselves, sharing only when they wanted to.

“I know, baby. It’s hard on both of us,”
Olsen thought as he continued to talk.

Tater jumped from the steps, storming across the yard and past the barn, toward the woods. How far would he have to go to be able to think without his mate hearing his every damn word?

“Shit!” Tater shouted as he hit the ground, a large bear on his back.

“Where do you think you’re going, Tater?”

“Away, damn it. I need to think. I need to figure this shit out. I need—”

“You’re running. Do you think I don’t know this? I’m not going to let you run off someplace alone. It’s too dangerous out there. And besides, you are going to stop running and talk to me. I know you’re afraid of commitment, but running is not going to solve a damn thing.”

Tater glared at the forest as he lay on the ground. Hadn’t he been thinking a few weeks ago that he wanted Olsen to take charge? To make him commit? Now that Olsen was taking charge, Tater could feel something inside of him rebelling. Was he really that screwed up?

Olsen’s nose brushed over Tater’s cheek, his tongue lapping at the side of Tater’s neck.
“You’re my mate, love. I need you just as much as you need me. We have a bond. If only you’d reach out and connect to me, we could work through this.”

Tater felt the tears threatening to spill. That was what he truly wanted, someone to connect with, someone to bond with. The only thing stopping him from getting what he craved the most was him.

“I’m scared, Olsen,” Tater confessed once again as he laid his cheek on the grass under him.

“I know, love. I know. And I promise to always keep that in mind when you feel like running, but I can’t allow you to take off, baby.”

Tater shuddered when he felt Olsen shift into his human form. The naked man lay over him, kissing the side of his neck, his hard cock pressing into Tater’s ass. The feel of his mate blanketing him was what Tater had been looking for. He wanted to feel protected, taken over. And Olsen was doing just that.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Olsen growled in his ear as he situated his knees on either side of Tater’s hips. “Why didn’t you tell me you need me to be the one in charge, to command you?”

Tater could feel his entire body flush as his desires were voiced. How long had he wanted to tell Olsen now? Maybe this mind thing did have its benefits.

“It doesn’t matter. I know now.” Olsen began to pull at Tater’s waistband.

“Wait!” Tater pulled out from between Olsen’s legs, leaving his mate kneeling on the grassy field, the forest just in arm’s reach. God, the man looked so damn good kneeling there naked with his cock hard and throbbing. It looked like a thing of beauty.

Olsen cocked his head to the side, studying Tater right before Tater tackled Olsen, his mate landing on his back. Tater didn’t waste any time. He swallowed Olsen until pubic hairs tickled his nose.

“Fuck, Tater. That’s right, love. Suck my dick.” Olsen’s legs fell apart as he began to thrust into Tater’s mouth. Tater palmed the back of Olsen’s knees, pushing his legs back as he sucked Olsen like a lollipop.

Olsen’s cock popped from his lips as he dipped his head, lapping at his mate’s sac. He sucked one orb in, tongue bathing it, and then did the same to the other. He could hear the moans coming from his mate as Tater swirled his tongue around, pulling at Olsen’s nuts with his lips.

“Suck it, baby.”

Tater released the heady skin as he took Olsen’s cock back into his mouth. His head rose and fell as he tried his best to give his mate the best blow job in history.

“You are, baby. You are,” Olsen groaned as his fingers curled into the grass.

Tater was desperate to get fucked, to feel this large cock that passed back and forth between his lips in his ass. But he was reluctant to let it go. He wanted both. Tater wanted it all.

Olsen kicked out, making Tater stumble from his knees. His bear got to his feet, his wet and hard shaft jutting out proudly. “Take your clothes off, Tater,” he commanded.

Tater ripped at his pants, trying desperately to get them off. He knew what Olsen wanted, and Tater was more than happy to oblige. He struggled with the strings of his boots, his fingers uncooperative from shaking so badly. Finally, he got them untied and yanked his boots off of his feet. It only took seconds before Tater’s pants were off. He rolled until he was on his hands and knees, his hole pulsing in anticipation of being filled.

“No, baby. On your back,” Olsen said as he glided one hand over Tater’s bared ass.

Tater hesitated.

“Get on your back, Tater. Now.” Olsen’s voice was steel.

Tater rolled again, looking up at his mate. He could feel his stomach muscles quivering at the command as Olsen squatted between Tater’s legs. “I want to watch your cock dance for me as I fuck you, baby.”